UW News blog

April 12, 2016

UW undergrads to present at national science festivals in D.C.

Two national celebrations of science are happening this week in D.C., and 乱伦社区 undergraduates will be in the spotlight at both events. Clara Orndorff, a pre-engineering undergraduate聽in the UW Honors Program, will travel with two fellow underwater roboticists to compete in Wednesday’s White House Science Fair. She will be among more than 100 top students who will showcase their projects, perhaps even to President Barack Obama, at the sixth annual event launched by his administration. The science fair…

UW undergraduate team wins $10,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for gloves that translate sign language

Two 乱伦社区 undergraduates have won a $10,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for their “SignAloud” invention — gloves that can translate American Sign Language into text or speech.

UW-led research team wins $7.5M MURI grant to defend against advanced cyberattacks

A 乱伦社区-led research team has won a $7.5 million, five-year Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grant from the Department of Defense to better model and mount defenses against stealthy, continuous computer hacking attacks known as “advanced persistent threats.”

April 6, 2016

UW-led field project watching clouds from a remote island off Antarctica

From a tiny island halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica, scientists hope to learn more about the physics of clouds above the stormy, inhospitable Southern Ocean.

April 5, 2016

UW joins public-private partnership for flexible electronics

An example of flexible hybrid electronics.

The 乱伦社区 has joined NextFlex, a consortium of 30 academic institutions and industrial partners to develop the next generation of flexible electronic devices. As a founding member of this alliance, the UW will seek local and regional partners in the electronics and manufacturing industries to develop and produce flexible electronics for applications from medicine to transportation. Flexible electronics are inherently thin and designed to be bent, rolled, folded or incorporated into new technologies or products in ways that…

April 1, 2016

UW ranked among top 25 ‘Best Value Colleges’ by Forbes

The 乱伦社区 is聽ranked No. 23 in the nation for best value by Forbes, according to a list released this week. The rankings are based on several factors including聽quality (based on the 2015 Forbes聽Top Colleges ranking), drop-out risk,聽average time to graduate, tuition and post-graduation salaries and skills. The magazine said聽the top colleges are “mostly West Coast, public and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-oriented.” Among public institutions, the UW is ranked No. 14. The UW is No. 9 among…

Interdisciplinary conference April 8 to study sights, sounds of ‘difference’

What do scholars and academics mean when they talk about “difference”? The 乱伦社区 Simpson Center for the Humanities and Center for Communication, Difference & Equity will hold an interdisciplinary daylong conference April 8 to study such questions, focusing in particular on how difference looks and sounds.

Global ocean fish populations could increase while providing more food, income

Most of the world’s wild fisheries could be at healthy levels in just 10 years, and global fish populations could greatly increase by 2050 with better fishing approaches, according to a new study co-authored by 乱伦社区 researchers.

March 25, 2016

Geology and art connect at UW light rail station

Alison Duvall talks about the geology of the UW light rail station in a narration to accompany the station’s art installation, which was created by UW alumnus Leo Saul Berk.

March 23, 2016

President’s statement on recent student death

The following is a statement from 乱伦社区 President Ana Mari Cauce on the recent death of student Katy Straalsund.

March 14, 2016

NOAA funds Washington Sea Grant to help communities protect their coasts

Washington Sea Grant was recently awarded nearly $900,000 to help coastal communities protect against marine hazards, including tsunamis, winter storms and sea-level rise.

March 11, 2016

TechConnect annual conference March 24

Members of the UW community are invited to a free daylong conference for technology professionals at the third-annual UW TechConnect Conference聽March 24. Sean Mooney, a professor of biomedical informatics and medical education and UW Medicine chief research information officer, will kick off the day with a keynote presentation starting at 8:30 a.m. Internet2 Senior VP and Chief Innovation Officer Florence Hudson will lead a morning session on future-proofing your career and environment through diversity and inclusion. Over 35 speakers from…

UW Combined Fund Drive partners with Make-A-Wish to donate airline miles

When Delilah was diagnosed with a congenital liver disorder, her mother Tabitha, recalls, 鈥淒octors told us she wasn鈥檛 going to make it.鈥� She鈥檇 need a new liver. She spent five months in Seattle Children鈥檚 Hospital waiting. It was a time of uncertainty and worry, but doctors eventually found a donor. Along the way, she qualified for a wish through Make-A-Wish庐 Alaska and Washington. Delilah wished to go on a cruise. Help Make-A-Wish grant a wish to every qualified child by…

Video contest challenges students to creatively define climate change

The UW’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences is hosting its second-annual contest for undergraduate and high school students in Washington to create videos about what climate change means to them, in three minutes or less.

March 9, 2016

Quintard Taylor’s BlackPast.org history site gets redesign, first executive director

BlackPast.org, the online reference guide to African-American history started by 乱伦社区 history professor Quintard Taylor, is getting an executive director — Chieko Phillips — and a website redesign.

March 8, 2016

Evans School, Ruckelshaus Center featured when public policy administrators gather in Seattle March 17-22

The evolving nature of the public sector will be the topic when professionals and scholars from the UW’s Evans School for Public Policy & Governance and around the world gather in Seattle March 17-22 for the 77th annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration.

March 4, 2016

UW video on clingfish takes top prize at Ocean 180 competition

A 乱伦社区 team won first place in a science communication video contest that culminated during the recent Ocean Sciences Meeting.

March 3, 2016

Record percentage of women students in Informatics Program helps iSchool narrow the gender gap

Christina Xiao, left, and Amber Amin graduated in June 2015 with degrees in informatics from the UW Information School. This year's cohort in Informatics is the largest yet, a record 40 percent of them women.

The UW Information School’s 2015-16 undergraduate cohort in informatics is not only the school’s largest yet with 210 students, it also includes more women students than ever before 鈥� about 40 percent.

$750,000 Mellon Foundation grant will fund research, collaboration in arts

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the 乱伦社区 a three-year, $750,000 grant to support guest artists in developing new works, and to better integrate arts disciplines into the broader university curriculum.

The grant will support a Creative Fellowships Initiative, under which guest performing artist fellows will be recruited from around the world for one- to three-year residencies in dance, music and theater.

March 2, 2016

UW aids city of Seattle on open data initiative

If people find it easier to get data from the city of Seattle going forward, they can in part thank the 乱伦社区. A team of UW faculty members and doctoral students spent the past six months working with the city on a new open data policy unveiled last week by Mayor Ed Murray. The policy requires all city departments to make their data as accessible as possible to the public while upholding privacy and security considerations. The UW…

March 1, 2016

The Animals to Hendrix: Authors discuss soundtrack of Vietnam War at March 7 event

For soldiers serving in the Vietnam War, music was a salve, a connection to home and a temporary respite from the horrors of combat. In “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” Rolling Stone鈥檚 #1 Best Music Book of 2015, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner explore the importance of music to U.S. troops in Vietnam, relaying powerful, intimate stories told by veterans themselves. Bradley, a Vietnam veteran, teaches a course on the war with Werner, a professor of Afro-American studies…

Ice cores, polar bears and whale sounds at 11th Polar Science Weekend

Investigate a real ice core from Greenland, survey microbes from the coldest parts of the world, explore an Arctic ice camp and meet with polar scientists 鈥� many of whom are from the 乱伦社区. It鈥檚 all part of Polar Science Weekend, returning to Seattle’s Pacific Science Center March 4-6. The three-day event features interactive exhibits and opportunities to talk with top polar scientists who work in some of the most remote and challenging places on Earth. New this…

February 29, 2016

University Book Store to relocate South Campus Store鈥檚 services and products to flagship store

University Book Store announced Thursday聽that it has opted to close its store in the University鈥檚 South Campus building and move its products and services to the flagship store on University Way Northeast. Though the relocation date has yet to be determined, University Book Store is planning for sometime before June. “Our lease was up for renewal, so it was time to evaluate whether we were successfully fulfilling our mission to provide our students with the materials they needed to succeed,”聽said…

UW ranks No. 7 on Business First’s top 10 list

The 乱伦社区 was ranked No. 7 by Business First, a Buffalo-based publication,聽for聽America’s top 10 best public colleges and universities, the publication released Tuesday, Feb. 23. Business First, owned by American City Business Journals,聽used a 20-part formula based on academic excellence, prestige, affordability, diversity and economic strength to calculate each of the 477 participating universities’ scores. Out of the six Washington institutions included in the report, the UW ranked first, following by Washington State University (No. 112). UC Berkeley…

February 26, 2016

2016 UW cherry blossom watch: 100 percent in bloom

Cherry trees in the Quad, March 10, 2016.

The cherry trees in the Quad at UW will likely be in full bloom the week of March 14.

February 24, 2016

Employee open forum March 2 for UW HR/Payroll Integrated Service Center

UW employees are invited to attend an open forum March 2 to learn more about the university鈥檚 plans to create an HR/Payroll Integrated Service Center.

February 19, 2016

Dangerous fishing may be endangered, new study finds

Fishermen place Sablefish pots off the coast of Half Moon Bay, California

A new study of fishing practices found that the “risky” behavior that makes fishing one of the most dangerous lines of work dropped sharply following the adoption of catch shares management in the West Coast fixed gear sablefish fishery.

February 9, 2016

UW’s Professional & Organizational Development team wins national leadership award

If you are a 乱伦社区 supervisor, you have probably participated in the Strategic Leadership Program 鈥� a customized training program enhancing communication and managerial skill. Developed and taught by 乱伦社区 Professional & Organizational Development, the program has graduated over 4000 supervisors since it launched almost 16 years ago. On Feb. 4, the Strategic Leadership Program received the top leadership excellence award for Best Corporate University at the national LEAD2016 conference sponsored by HR.com and held at…

February 8, 2016

Intellectual House, Odegaard Library welcome new works of public art

"Welcoming Figures" at w菨色菨b蕯altx史 - Intellectual House was designed by Ruth and Andy Peterson of the by Skykomish Tribe and carved by Andrea Wilbur-Sigo of the Squaxin Island and Skykomish tribes. Sigo is at center, her daughter Florence Sigo is at left, her husband Steve Sigo at right and son Robert Sigo in front.

The 乱伦社区 campus already is home to a lot of great public art. Now there are two additions to the campus collection 鈥� one at the Odegaard Undergraduate Library and the other at w菨色菨b蕯altx史 – Intellectual House.

UW’s Tom Anderson elected to National Academy of Engineering

Tom Anderson, a 乱伦社区 professor of computer science and engineering and alumnus, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Also elected are UW civil engineering alumnus Jon Magnusson and computer science alumnus Albert Greenberg.

February 2, 2016

Reflections on the habitability of 鈥� Planet Earth

Astronomers at the UW-based Virtual Planetary Laboratory have created an index to rank the habitability of exoplanets, or those outside the solar system.

We know the Earth is habitable because 鈥� well, here we are. But would it look like a good candidate for life from hundreds of light-years away?

February 1, 2016

UW seismologist speaking at White House earthquake preparedness summit

UW seismologist John Vidale will participate in a White House summit focusing on national earthquake preparedness.

January 22, 2016

UW joins effort to rethink admissions criteria, developing new scholarship

The UW has signed on to a new report and initiative encouraging changes to the college admissions process to promote greater ethical and intellectual engagement on the part of prospective students.

January 20, 2016

UW-designed climate change games honored this week in Washington, D.C.

Two 乱伦社区 teams claimed top prizes in a national competition to design a game about climate adaptation.

What’s the name of that tree? New interactive plant map for arboretum

First-time visitors and regulars to Washington Park Arboretum can now learn the names and origins of plants as well as save favorites while strolling through the grounds.

January 19, 2016

Helen Garrett named new registrar for the 乱伦社区

Helen Garrett has been selected as the 乱伦社区鈥檚 new university registrar and chief officer for enrollment information services. 鈥淗elen emerged as the top candidate from a very deep pool of applicants. Her substantial experience in enrollment management combined with her wealth of knowledge regarding data and student information services were exactly what the registrar search committee was looking for,鈥� said Philip Reid, chair of the registrar search committee and professor of chemistry. “She has the right combination of…

January 11, 2016

New master of applied bioengineering to prepare students for translational research

In December, the 乱伦社区’s Department of Bioengineering began accepting applications for its newest graduate degree program, the Master of Applied Bioengineering. The one-year, full-time program begins in August, and will train students to apply engineering design and entrepreneurship skills to address unmet clinical needs and to transform biomedical research into technologies for improving health care. The degree will position graduates to respond to market-based demands of industry, medicine and translational research.